Pollen allergies cause misery to a large number of people all around the world, with symptoms including allergic rhinitis (hay fever), allergic conjunctivitis (eye allergies), asthma, sneezing, watery eyes, nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy throat and cough.[1] The symptoms are essentially an over-the-top response by the immune system in which histamine is produced as a defense mechanism against various microorganisms.[2] Because the histamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of a pollen allergy, getting rid of the histamine is a good way to treat pollen allergies. There are literally hundreds of OTC (non-prescription) medicines available for you to try, but many of them have side effects, so it may be a good idea to try using natural antihistamines to give you some relief from your pollen allergy.[3]

Steps

Method1

Using Ingredients From Your Kitchen

1

Use turmeric to soothe inflamed airways. Turmeric contains a substance called curcumin which prevents the release of histamine in the body (which causes allergy symptoms). It also acts as an anti-inflammatory, soothing the inflamed airways of the throat following an allergic reaction.[4]

You can increase your turmeric intake by adding a pinch of turmeric to any vegetable, fish or meat dishes you make. It doesn't have a strong flavor, but gives the food a pleasant yellow/orange color.

The recommended daily intake of turmeric is 300mg per day.

2

Eat local honey to increase your pollen immunity. Bee pollen in raw honey helps to boost your immunity and prevent allergies and infections. By consuming a small amount of pollen each day, you are essentially vaccinating yourself against pollen allergies.[5]

It's best to eat local honey, as the pollen it contains will be specific to your local area, making it much more effective as an antihistamine substitute.

Try to eat two tablespoons of raw, local honey daily for best results.

3

Consume basil to reduce inflammation. Basil contains antihistamine properties that help to prevent inflammation caused by allergies. It can also be used to remove bee or insect venom from a sting. [6]

To increase your basil intake, you can chop fresh basil leaves and add them to your salads, soups and dressings.

Alternatively, you can make basil tea by chopping fresh basil leaves and adding them to a cup of boiling water. Allow the leaves to steep for 5 minutes, then filter the tea and add honey to taste before drinking.

4

Eat onions to reduce your body's production of histamine. Onions contain a chemical compound called quercetin, which helps to check your body's production of histamine and reduce the symptoms of pollen allergies.[7]

Try to include more onions in your cooking. Eat raw onions where possible, as they contain a higher quantity of quercetin.

Quercetin also helps to open up your airways, making breathing easier.

5

Cook with ginger to reduce allergic reactions. Ginger possesses anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties, both of which help to prevent allergic reactions.[8]

To make a ginger tea, cut an inch of ginger root, mash it or grate it and add it to a cup of water of boiled water. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes before filtering the ginger and drinking the tea.

You can also add grated fresh ginger to curries, stir fries and salads for a burst of Asian-inspired flavor.

6

Use garlic to increase your body's resistance to allergens. Garlic suppresses certain enzymes that cause inflammation in the body. It is also a natural antibiotic that boosts your immune system and helps you to fight off allergies and infections.

Raw garlic is more effective than cooked garlic, so try to eat two or three small cloves of fresh garlic each day.

If the flavor of fresh garlic is too strong, add chopped or grated garlic to soups, stir fries and salad dressings.

7

Drink green tea to fight all types of allergies. Green tea contains a compound called catechin which prevents the conversion of histidine to histamine, thereby stopping an allergic reaction before it has the chance to produce symptoms.[9]

Aim to drink two to three cups of green tea a day for the greatest antihistamine benefits.

Green tea also helps with other types of allergies (dust, dander, etc) not just pollen allergies.

8

Eat more apples to control the release of histamine. Apples contain a flavonoid called quercetin which controls the release of histamine, thereby limiting allergic reactions to pollen.[10]

Everyone has heard the phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", but an apple a day can also help to prevent pollen allergies.

9

Increase your intake of vitamin C, as it helps to break down histamine. Vitamin C reduces the release of histamine, helps to break down released histamines faster and decreases the sensitivity of your airways to histamines.

To make peppermint tea: Place 1/2 ounce of dried peppermint leaves in a one quart jar. Fill two-thirds of the jar with boiling water, and steep for five minutes. (You can inhale the steam for added benefit). Let cool, strain, sweeten if desired, and drink.

Method2

Experimenting With Herbal Remedies

1

Consume stinging nettle to reduce the amount of histamine in your body. This may surprise anyone who has quite literally run into stinging nettles in a field-- most people tend to get a nasty rash from it, but research shows that it can reduce the amount of histamine in your body. In one study, over half the people who used freeze-dried nettles to treat allergies reported relief. Other studies have also indicated that taking nettles as a supplement or as a tea during allergy season especially, can benefit those with pollen allergies, decreasing the symptoms.[12][13][14]

Nettles is best taken as a supplement, following manufacturer’s instructions, or as a tea. Start taking nettles or drinking nettles tea (2-3 cups a day) 1-2 weeks before allergy season and continue through the season

Nettles is considered safe except for pregnant women-- it may stimulate uterine contractions

2

Experiment with quercetin and rutin. Quercitin and rutin are chemically related and are found in a wide variety of plants. They are both bioflavonoids and appear to function to protect blood vessels from excessive “leakage”, reducing the swelling associated with allergies. Both also function as anti-inflammatory agents.[15]

Both quercitin and rutin appear to be safe, with rare rashes and digestive upset being reported.

Quercitin and rutin are taken as a supplement, following manufacturer’s instructions.

The safety of quercitin and rutin have not been tested in children or pregnant women.

There is some evidence that quercitin and rutin can lower blood pressure-- if you are taking blood pressure medications, speak to your physician before taken either quercitin or rutin.

Quercitin and rutin should not be taken with cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune).

If you are taking blood thinners such as warfarin or aspirin, talk to your physician before using either quercitin or rutin.

3

Take bromelian to reduce swelling in the sinuses.[16] Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapples and other plants. It is used as a digestive enzyme and to treat inflammation.[17]

Animal studies also indicate that bromelain may be effective in allergic asthma.[18]

The German expert panel, the Commission E, recommends doses of 80-320 mg (200-800 FIP units) 2-3 times daily. Bromelain is taken as a supplement.

Do not take Bromelain if you are allergic to latex. For reasons that are not clear, sensitivity to both is common.

If you are taking amoxicillin or any blood thinning medication, contact your physician before using bromelain.

4

Use eyebright (also known as euphrasia) to treat inflammation and irritation of the eyes. As you can probably tell from its name, eyebright has been used primarily for allergic (and other) reactions in the eye. Eyebright has been known to have anti-inflammatory effects comparable to indomethacin.[19] Taken orally, it has also been used to treat allergies.

Eyebright has not been tested for its safety in pregnant women.

Eyebright can be taken as a tea or as a supplement.

It reduces inflammation in the eye caused by blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelash follicles) and conjunctivitis (inflammation or infection of the membrane lining the eyelids). It can be used as an eye wash, as eye drops, or plant infusions may be taken internally for ophthalmic use.[20]

Eyebright is also used as an anti-inflammatory for hay fever, sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infections, and catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes).

5

Take an elderberry supplement or tea. Elderberry has been traditionally used to treat individuals with pollen allergies.[21] It is high in bioflavonoids, anti-inflammatories, and antioxidants, which may play a role as an anti-allergy remedy.[22]

Elderberry as a tea or as a supplement is considered to be safe for children.

6

Use butterbur as an effective substitute for antihistamines. Derived from a common weed in Europe, butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is another alternative to antihistamines. Studies have indicated that it can decrease histamine and other inflammatory substances in individuals with allergies.[23]

According to studies, butterbur is just as effective as the drug cetrizine, the active ingredient in the popular anti-histamine tablet Zyrtec.[24] Even though cetirizine is supposed to be a non-sedative antihistamine, researchers reported that it did cause drowsiness[25], while butterbur did not.

A word of caution though — butterbur is in the same family as ragweed, so it could worsen allergy symptoms in people with ragweed allergies.

Butterbur is not recommended in pregnant women but is well-tolerated and safe in most adults and children.

7

Try dong quai to treat allergies and respiratory complaints. Several chemical agents in dong quai may have an antihistamine and anti-serotonin effect. Histamine, serotonin, and other substances are released from the blood cells in response to something that irritates the body -- such as pollen, dust, chemical fumes, or animal dander -- causing the symptoms we associate with allergies. Dong quai's antihistamine effect helps to prevent these allergy symptoms.

Dong quai supplements are available at health food stores, or you can boil dong quai leaves in water to make a tea.[26]

8

Take goldenseal to reduce the symptoms of pollen allergies. Goldenseal is a very popular treatment amongst herbalists. They use it for its wide variety of beneficial properties, including its use as an alternative, anti-catarrhal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, bitter tonic, laxative, anti-diabetic, and muscular stimulant.

In terms of allergies, goldenseal is said to have an astringent effect it on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder, and rectum (applied topically), and the skin.

When used with a saline nasal spray, goldenseal can also greatly reduce the symptoms of pollen allergies.[27]

9

Use eucalyptus as a decongestant. Eucalyptus is a common ingredient in cough lozenges and syrups. Its effectiveness is due to compound called cineole. Cineole has numerous health benefits — it’s an expectorant, it can ease a cough, it fights congestion, and it can soothe irritated sinus passages. [28]

Eucalyptus oil has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. Eucalyptus oil vapor acts as decongestant when it is inhaled and hence can be used in treatment of sinusitis.

Method3

Using Steam Treatments

1

Get herbs to use in a steam treatment. Nettles, Eyebright, and Butterbur can be used in steam treatments if you have the dried herb. You will only need 1 teaspoon of the dried herb per treatment session.

2

Add the herb to 1 cup of boiled and steaming water. Stir the herb into the water, so that it is fully combined. You do not need the water to be actively boiling, just steaming.

3

Breathe in the steam. Cover your head with a towel and inhale the steam using both your nose and mouth. Do this for as long as you want to, but the longer you do it for the more your sinuses should be cleared out.

4

Be careful! Make sure you are careful not to burn yourself on the hot steam! Also, the first time you do this approach, take one breath and then step away from the steam. This is to test whether you have any reaction to the herbs. When you think about it, you are having an allergic reaction to a plant product and there is a chance you might react to this herb!

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Tips

Histamine increases the leakage of fluids from blood vessels and acts as a chemical messenger to “call in” other cells that proceed to produce more inflammatory substances.

Histamine also functions in the body as a neurotransmitter, regulating the sleep-wake cycle, releasing stomach acids, and acting on the lungs to increase the constriction of bronchioles.[29]

Apart from these natural remedies you can use a saline solution in a neti pot to irrigate your nose.

You can also help to alleviate allergy symptoms by keeping pollen out of your home. You can do this by: closing your windows and outside doors, avoiding the use of window and attic fans during pollen season (use air-conditioning to cool your home instead). Dry clothing and bedding in the dryer. Don't hang them outside. Remember that pets can bring in pollen on their fur, too, so don't allow pets that spend time outdoors in your bedroom.

Roll up your car windows when driving. Use the air-conditioning, if you need it. If you have to be outside, minimize your exposure to pollen by checking pollen counts before planning outdoor activities.